Etiquette in aires (1 Viewer)

[LesW]

Not quite an aire.. we are parked up in a permitted camper stop in Giverny.

This is our first venture into France, and free parking... can't help but notice that all the other moho's are lined /parked up alongside one another, about three feet apart. The place is less than a third full... Loads of places.

We've parked away from them so we have a nice view across the countryside... Is this breaking some unwritten rule?

 

[hilldweller]

Is this breaking some unwritten rule?

You have a lot to learn. In any parking situation, no matter how much space, if another vehicle is already there you must park no more then one metre from it. Half a metre and you are considered professional.

 

[JJ]

Park wherever you want, but don't be surprised if a French van comes and parks three feet away from you...

It seems to be the way they do things.


JJ

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[FIDGET]

I'd say no. but if it had got busy, you more than likely would have had someone park 2 foot away from you. very often not always they do park that close , we've been asked to move if we've left a too wide distance between us & the next moho , so someone can get into park if things get busy ( not always politely sometimes quite abrupt)

 

[Deleted member 29692]

No it's fine with especially if there's a lot of space. If it fills up then expect other people to be parked close to you. There are no rules regarding minimum spacing like UK campsites have.

I dont know why European vans tend to park like that. It might just be a habit that forms to stop space being wasted on smaller aires.

If you park on a busy aire and leave too much of a gap you will either be told to move or find another van squeezes in.

 

[magicsurfbus]

As @JJ says, in the first instance park where you like. What usually happens is most people will try to park at least a full MH width plus a bit away from you, then if the aire gets really busy around evening time they'll start filling in the gaps, sometimes up to the point where doors and windows clash.

What you found when you arrived may be the leftover from a busy day minus a few mid-morning departures, or a group who enjoy the company of other MH owners - damn fools

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[treetops1]

I always make sure we can just open our hab door lol

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

Park wherever you want, but don't be surprised if a French van comes and parks three feet away from you...

It seems to be the way they do things.


JJ

The reason for that is that they all live in mid-terraced houses

 

[Silver-Fox]

Its a bit like when i park the Impreza in a supermarket car park.

Im well away from anyone minding my own business i a far off corner.

Come out and i guarantee at least two cars parked by me

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[EX51SSS]

Its a bit like when i park the Impreza in a supermarket car park.

Im well away from anyone minding my own business i a far off corner.

Come out and i guarantee at least two cars parked by me

I do that with my small car and would do even if was a 25 year old Corsa.

 

[Teuchter]

I'd say no. but if it had got busy, you more than likely would have had someone park 2 foot away from you. very often not always they do park that close , we've been asked to move if we've left a too wide distance between us & the next moho , so someone can get into park if things get busy ( not always politely sometimes quite abrupt)

At the very popular Aire on the harbour at Almerimar on the South coast of Spain I have witnessed the "not always politely" of the above!

In fact it very, very nearly came to blows - the area was packed and a queue waiting to get in - one van left and 2 went in - 1st one was OK 2nd one started gesticulating at a Brit couple who had camping chairs out between them & the next van - soon a mini crowd arrived and took sides and a massive argument took place.

Eventually a harbour official arrived and the 2nd campervan was "shown the door!

From where I stood it appeared that he wanted the Brit to take in his chairs, move his van closer to the next one so that the angry camper could squeeze in - if the manouvre had been carried out then there it seemed to me that there would have been no more than 2 feet between the vans - just enough to open the hab door!!

 

[Stealaway]

You must at Monet's garden.
We have stayed there and there is no problem where you park up, do your own thing and bugger the locals.
If can get cosy on some Aires when they are busy but if there is plenty of room then use it.

We didn't go around the gardens (not our thing) but they are very popular considering how many coaches arrived the following morning. enjoy

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[DavidG58]

It would definitely help on the very busy aires (that we try to avoid anyway) to put in line markings to reduce the risk of a row.

I wonder if some would always park 1m off the next MH so as they can never be accused of taking too much space, good chance that in the OP's example, if it did fill right up they would end up with a larger gap and be asked to move, unless of course they are already in the corner when that logic fails (although they may get a larger gap it would not be their fault

quite a few that we have used have well defined markings, but quite a few have nothing

 

[Lenny HB]

It's just the French, go into the Gents you can be having a quiet pee 6 urinals between you and the end wall a French man will come in and stand next to you. Also on an empty beach, you are the only one on it a French family will arrive and plonk themselves down 2 feet from you.

 

[Steve101uk]

My experience of French aires is that no one could care less how close or how far you park from the next van. Seems to me the only people that are actually bothered about this sort of thing is the British. My advice is park up, open a bottle and relax.

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[Kelsae2]

We were on that site in Giverny last year while visiting Monets house and gardens. We parked just beside the gate through to the overspill field and in the evening a Belgium van parked about 2 feet in front of us so that everyone on that side were all neatly parked. By 8pm the whole of the main area was full, but there was a van parked on its own away in a corner, so no problem, there is plenty space. Look forward to visiting again this year.

 

[Allanm]

It's just the French, go into the Gents you can be having a quiet pee 6 urinals between you and the end wall a French man will come in and stand next to you. Also on an empty beach, you are the only one on it a French family will arrive and plonk themselves down 2 feet from you.

They are just being sociable.....

 

[Zepp]

We have been on a aire and we left too much room between us and the next van and sure enough when the aire got busy another van squeezed in between us and the next van leaving us no space I think thats why the French park next to people .

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[Alistair33]

It's just the French, go into the Gents you can be having a quiet pee 6 urinals between you and the end wall a French man will come in and stand next to you. Also on an empty beach, you are the only one on it a French family will arrive and plonk themselves down 2 feet from you.

How do you know he's French, striped Willy warmer with attached beret?

 

[The Wino]

Perhaps its so if it gets busy you dont end up with a lot of spaces nearly but not quite big enough to get another m/h in and stop someone else getting a space. As I see it you either go on aires and accept the spacing or go and pay for a site. I can see why the extra one coming in wanted the brits to move their chairs and make space to me its the way aires work and rude not to move!

 

[Shrimp]

We've been on Aires where you're squeezed in like sardines and then there are some (mostly out in the villages) where you get a dedicated space with hedges between.
Park where you like/can, we've only been asked to move once and that was because of the Tour de France coming through & everyone wanted to be there!

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[Larby]

On an opposite view, how many of us have turned up on an aire, Motorhomes parked with the awning and the table & chairs out? taking up at least the space for another weary traveller.
Do you grunt and mutter and move on or ask/tell them to let you in?

 

[pelican]

You must at Monet's garden.
We have stayed there and there is no problem where you park up, do your own thing and bugger the locals.
If can get cosy on some Aires when they are busy but if there is plenty of room then use it.

We didn't go around the gardens (not our thing) but they are very popular considering how many coaches arrived the following morning. enjoy

Thats a bit inconsiderate of you. The land is privately owned and for the use of people paying to visit the gardens. Also not very polite of you to say Bxxxxx the locals.

 

[Lenny HB]

On an opposite view, how many of us have turned up on an aire, Motorhomes parked with the awning and the table & chairs out? taking up at least the space for another weary traveller.
Do you grunt and mutter and move on or ask/tell them to let you in?

Or a toad taking up a space.

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[chesterfield hooligan]

How do you know he's French, striped Willy warmer with attached beret?

It was the onion's and garlic hanging from their mirror's

 

[Zepp]

Or a toad taking up a space.

We were on a Spanish aire the local police turned up and moved all the cars and trailers out of the motorhome bays the French were not happy

 

[Silver-Fox]

It's just the French, go into the Gents you can be having a quiet pee 6 urinals between you and the end wall a French man will come in and stand next to you. Also on an empty beach, you are the only one on it a French family will arrive and plonk themselves down 2 feet from you.

Maybe the French are very needy

Hence why the don't want to leave the EU

Sorry couldn't resist

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[Larby]

It's just the French, go into the Gents you can be having a quiet pee 6 urinals between you and the end wall a French man will come in and stand next to you. Also on an empty beach, you are the only one on it a French family will arrive and plonk themselves down 2 feet from you.

Like this ??

 

[chaser]

Perhaps its so if it gets busy you dont end up with a lot of spaces nearly but not quite big enough to get another m/h in and stop someone else getting a space. As I see it you either go on aires and accept the spacing or go and pay for a site. I can see why the extra one coming in wanted the brits to move their chairs and make space to me its the way aires work and rude not to move!

On an opposite view, how many of us have turned up on an aire, Motorhomes parked with the awning and the table & chairs out? taking up at least the space for another weary traveller.
Do you grunt and mutter and move on or ask/tell them to let you in?

Absolutely agree, it's got to the point now where if we see another U.K. Van we deliberately park against them just to p them off, what the hell does it matter, you are probably only going to be there in the dark anyway, the more you can get on the better for everyone, and parking together even though there is open ground keeps everything lined up to make the best use of the space.
And just another thing that's been mentioned, you are not actually supposed to have awnings out, or anything else lying about on Aires.

 

[magicsurfbus]

And just another thing that's been mentioned, you are not actually supposed to have awnings out, or anything else lying about on Aires.

Agreed on that. I can't abide people spreading out into the other parking spaces, whatever nationality - stay within your bay, or your footprint plus some door opening space. It should be possible to stick a camping chair out somewhere nearby without obstructing others' vehicles.

I remember seeing an Austrian MH owner throwing a paddy on the Dieppe port aire because someone had parked within a full MH width of his vehicle. Campsite warden on holiday?